The invention relates to a process for the hooking up by a user of a group control module with at least one group control module and/or one action module and/or one measurement module in a home-automation network.
Processes for hooking up a control module with action modules in home-automation networks are known in the prior art.
Patent FR-A-2 670 590, for example, shows a process for hooking up a control module with an address allocation and action module in a home-automation network. In this process, the user starts by actuating a special pushbutton, known as the hookup button, on a control apparatus, thus opening the hookup session. The user can then choose a particular control on this control apparatus and, once this choice is made, all the indicator lights of action apparatuses start flashing. The user then chooses one of the action apparatuses by pressing a local control for this action apparatus. The indicator lights of all the other unselected action apparatuses stop flashing while that of the chosen apparatus remains permanently lit. At this point the indicator lights of all the control apparatuses start flashing and the user can construct a chaining of control apparatuses. The session in which the control apparatus is hooked up with the action apparatus is terminated by placing the address of the action apparatus in memory in the control apparatus.
The major drawback of this process is that the user can hook up only a single action apparatus with a control apparatus. In order to be able to hook up several action apparatuses with a control apparatus, the user must construct a chaining of control apparatuses, with each of these already being hooked up with an action apparatus.
The object of the present invention is to provide a process that makes it possible to hook up, in a simple manner, a control module with one or more other modules, be they other group control modules or action modules or other autounits which require hooking up and are associated with devices such as roller blinds or measurement modules associated with measurement sensors such as an anemometer.
The process according to the invention includes the following step as the first step:
action by a user on an initial group control module so as to commence the hooking up.
The process is one wherein the following steps are also included:
request for signaling in the network of all the group control and/or action and/or measurement modules which are hooked up with the initial group control module by comparing the addresses which they have stored with the address of the initial group control module,
action by the user on one or more of the control modules and/or on one or more of the action modules and/or on one or more of the measurement modules of the network so as to hook it up with the initial group control module if it is not already hooked up with this initial group control module or to cancel its hookup with the initial group control module if it is hooked up with the initial group control module, and
action by the user on the initial group control module so as to terminate the hookup.
According to a particular step which is implemented solely during a first hooking up, that is to say during the creation of a new group of modules on the network, the step involving a user acting on an initial group control module so as to commence the hooking up is followed firstly by a step involving searching for a free address in respect of the initial group control module, thereby enabling it to choose an address which does not yet exist on the network and to allocate it to itself. Next, the process normally progresses on to the step involving a request for signaling of all the group control and/or action and/or measurement modules which are hooked up with the initial group control module.
In principle, given the fact that the process implemented in this case involves the creation of a new group with a new group address, none of the modules should signal an already existing hookup. Nevertheless, this step allows a check of the network and of the addresses used.
The user can then hook up modules by acting on the relevant modules so as to create the new group as described above.
Finally, the user completes the operation by acting on the initial group control module so as to end the hookup session.
Advantageously, during the search steps, the indicator lights on the modules flash in such a way as to signal to the user that the entire network is operating autonomously and that the user cannot make any modifications. In the same way, once the network has completed its autonomous operation, the indicator lights remain permanently lit or switched off so as to signal to the user that he can act on the modules.
Furthermore, in order to commence a hooking up operation, it may be useful to provide a timeout triggered by the user acting on an initial group control module. This timeout can, for example, last at least 5 seconds.
During the hooking up of a group control module with the initial group control module, the address present in the memory of the hooked up group control module is replaced with the actual address of the initial group control module. This is because a control module possesses only a single address in memory and when several control modules are chained, they become clones of one another with the same address. Any one of them can thus control the defined group.
On the other hand, during the hooking up of an action module or of a measurement module with the initial group control module, the unused addresses on the network located in the memory of the action module or measurement module are erased and the address of the initial group control module is added to the memory of the action module or measurement module.
It may be advantageous for the user to act differently on the initial group control module in order to commence hooking up if the user wishes to modify an existing group or if he wants to create a new group. For example, if the user wishes to modify an existing group, the action involves pressing a hookup modification button and, if the user wishes to create a new group, the action involves pressing a hookup creation button. Thus, the step of searching for a new address, which is only executed when a new group is created, is implemented when the hookup creation button is pressed.
The device for implementing the process according to the invention comprises a network, at least one group control module, at least one action module and/or at least one measurement module. The network uses either carrier currents, or cables, or alternatively optical means, such as fibers, or radio-electric means as the transmission medium. The modules generally include at least one input and one output, RAM and ROM memories, an indicator light, a pushbutton, a power supply, a computer and possibly a clock. The action modules which make it possible to control motors or actuators also include a switching element for performing this control, whilst the measurement modules include an acquisition system which enables them to place in memory the value or values measured by the sensor associated with them.